4WD Maintenance Per Owner's Manual

On page 187 of the manual, the recommendation is to drive at least 10 miles in 4WD. Lower on the same page, the recommendation is to NOT use H4 on paved roads. Is there a consensus on what to do (other than go 10 miles off-road. once a month)? Thank you all.

 

You need to do that for lubrication.
If you don't use it you'll lose it....lol
I have a place in the country and I have to drive two miles back and forth to the pavement.I go up there six or seven times amonth at least in my Tundra so I flip on the 4x4 to get to those 10mi a month.
I dunno if it helps but it gives me piece of mind.
And if you turn sharp on pavement in 4x4 it will hop.

 

Listen to it? I also will run through all the gears not just simpley put it in 4H and do ten miles. Ill start locked in 4L 1st gear for a while then go up through all the gears. Swap to 4h when done with 4L and do the same.

Never use 4x4 on any surface that is solid and will not let your tires give/spin. When you turn in 4x4 one tire wants to spin faster than the other and this creates binding when the surface doesn't give.

Some will say it's ok to drive strait in 4x4 on road but I would never do it. To easy to forget not to turn...LMAO

Also never go mudding or swimming with your truck then turn your 4x4 off right after. Keep it in 4 and drive some to help dry everything out.

Ive done the above for many years and never had an issue while I see many around me have issues because they do not.

 

It won't hurt a thing and probably will make the axle support bearings last a lot longer. Nothing but the axles turn in 2WD and the chain in the transfer case doesn't either so all that stuff gets dry 4X4 shift rails etc. I have been doing it for the last 47K

 

Just engage it when you're on a nice straight stretch of road where you're not going too fast and you'll be fine. I'd throw it in 4x4 on 45mph stretches whenever I thought about it for a few miles here and there throughout the month. Just don't make any sharp turns with it on while on pavement and you'll be fine.

 

I'll do that too and every now and then when I am in dead stop to crawling traffic I'll engage 4wd low and just let it idle me forward. The more it's used, the easier it is to switch into.

 

You can shift into 4WD at any speed below Toyota's recommended max speed. The binding is the tires traction you all have little faith in Toyota quality if you think the drive line parts can't stand the torque until the tires slip. If you never use 4X4 on the pavement and light the rear tires up in 2WD what do you think is going on with the rear axles, springs and drive shaft or climb over rocks and have the front lose and gain traction all of a sudden? The radius of any turn on a public road is not great enough to bind the drive line any way. Pretty much every thing out there that has electronic 4X4 engagement recommends using 4WD regularly. You can do what you want it's your truck but if Toyota has to pay for warranty repairs and they thought driving on a hard surface would damage any thing they sure as hell wouldn't tell you to do it

 

Damn...I wish I had read this thread a few years ago. The only time I use 4WD is during the winter or if I go hunting.

 

Give your locker a regular workout too if you have one. I have a few gravel roads on the way to mtb trails that I use 4wd on. If I can't make it out there for a while I flip it to 4h on a straight stretch for a little while.

 

I'm not too worried about not driving in 4 wheel drive for a month but if I were concerned I would just put it in 4 going down the highway for a few miles.

 

I have a few dirt roads I cruise and I always do it in 4H

 

While I not saying you shouldn't use 4x4 I took my 1st gen to 160k mikes only using the 4x4 2 or 3 times a year and never had an issue. Also, my dad drives an 07 Tundra with 60k miles. I think he's used 4x4 once and I've used it twice most recently a few weeks ago in Pismo. No problems at all.

 

When my truck was new it took forever for the 4WD to engage/disengage the more it was driven during the winter (it snows a lot in Maine) I bought it the better it got. Frankly I hate the electronic system (it's for people to damn lazy to lock hubs in) but it's what I have and using it as described in the manual makes it work a good bit better when I need to use it.